The present invention generally relates to connectors, particularly to connectors for tubular members, and specifically to connectors for tubular members not requiring modifications to the tubular member, not requiring specific orientations of the tubular member, and not requiring movement in directions other than parallel to the tubular member during installation.
It is often desired to connect tubular members to various objects such as but not limited to connecting together the parallel tubes of first and second trusses to result in a single unitary truss having a span of their combined lengths. The almost universal mechanism for making such a connection is to bolt one truss to another. But in certain applications such as where it is desired to frequently connect and disconnect tubular members and/or where for aesthetic or other reasons bolts are not desired, other forms of connectors have been developed. As examples, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,637,193 and 4,775,258 show connectors having male and female components attached by bolts to rods fastened inside of the tubular members. Thus, modification was required to the tubular members at least by fastening rods therein; due to its male/female nature, the tubular members could only be secured in corresponding orientations; and movement was required generally perpendicular to the tubular members to effect connection. Other forms of connection include connectors which slide with a friction fit in the ends of the tubular members such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,469,339 and 5,209,599. However, such friction fit, slide connectors require close tolerances and were prone to allow separation when subjected to tensional forces parallel to the tubular members.
Another example of preferred connectors for tubular members is the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,957 as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,645,509; 3,484,830; 3,977,800; 4,657,426; and 4,859,109 and Australian Appln. No. 371/31. Each of these connectors connect tubular members by providing first and second jaw members insertable into the tubular member in a longitudinal insertion direction and separable after insertion a distance sufficient to allow the jaw members to grip the inside surface of the tubular member with sufficient force to prevent relative movement between the first and second jaw members and the tubular member, with the separation of the jaw members being operable from outside of the tubular member. However, such separable jaw member connectors were restricted for use in tubular members having straight linear shapes along their longitudinal lengths and were otherwise deficient such as by the number of components required and their manner of assembly.
Thus, a need continues to exist for other methods to connect tubular members and which overcome the shortcomings and disadvantages of prior connecting techniques.